Sunday, October 2, 2016

IF Comp '16: Riot

Riot, by Taylor Johnson


Riot is a narrow Twine game without many deviation points. It appears to be based on a short film treatment also written by Johnson. You play as a rookie riot office in his first dispatch. Black Lives Matter hangs over the proceedings without being specifically called out. I was worried that it might trivialize an important issue, but luckily it manages to handle itself pretty well.

I didn't like how I was railroaded into violent actions, but this is a very narrow game where none of your choices make much of a difference past how the character (and player) sees himself. It's a game with a story to tell and it keeps you on track to tell it.

That side, despite some thin characterization, it's told well. I liked it better coming out than going in and that's worth something.

No comments:

Post a Comment